Animals may suffer from various types of anxiety, fearfulness, or overexcitement. Such feelings or behaviors are common problems for dogs, for example, and can present many symptoms and severity levels. On the less extreme end of the spectrum, a fear of thunder may cause the dog to shake and cling to her owner. On the other extreme, the fear may cause panicked running, destructive chewing, defecating indoors, seizures, or other erratic behavior. Additional known symptoms include panting, drooling, whining, barking, hiding, seeking tight spaces, trembling, scratching, not eating, and pacing. Some owners are not aware that negative behavior they are seeing is actually caused by anxiety. In addition to noises, other sources of anxiety may include separation from owner(s), travel, crating, strangers, other dogs, and much more.
Determining what causes a dog's anxiety may be difficult or impossible to pinpoint. The start of the anxiety may in some cases be traced to a traumatic incident such as being too close to a fireworks show or too close to a lightning strike and the subsequent thunder clap. However, a dog may have a genetic predisposition for noise or other types of anxiety. Studies have shown that some breeds, such as Collies, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds, have a higher incidence of noise anxiety. For some dogs, noise anxiety gradually appears and worsens as they age for no apparent reason, while for others, noise anxiety appears as a puppy and stays with them.
There are several known treatments to consider for giving relief to a dog from anxiety. For example, for noise anxiety, the owner may change the dog's environment with “common sense” attempts to give the dog comfort. Efforts may include creating a safe haven for the dog, such as a blanket-covered crate, finding a location that will reduce the noise level, or turning on music or the television to help mask the sound of the problem noise. These efforts, however, typically do not show dramatic results, but they can help to reduce symptoms.
A second treatment approach is behavior modification. For example, desensitization is one of the most common behavior modifications tried for noise anxiety. In a controlled environment, the dog is exposed to a low level of the noise. As she becomes accustomed to the noise, the volume is increased over time until she learns to tolerate a high level of noise. This approach has limitations in practice; it is very time consuming, in some cases it is not effective because many dogs recognize the difference between artificial and real events, and if it is effective, the dog will likely require ongoing periodic treatments.
A third treatment approach is medication. There are a variety of prescription medications that a veterinarian may suggest. Some are administered on a regular basis for the life of the dog (Paroxetine or Fluoxetine), while others are given only at the time of an anxiety event (valium). Sometimes a combination of drugs is used. Any of these options tend to be relatively expensive when accounting for the veterinarian visits and the drug costs, and the medications pose a risk of unwanted physical side effects that may be severe.
A final form of treatment is a “pressure wrap.” A pressure wrap is material that wraps around the dog's torso, in particular the chest and sometimes the stomach, to provide a constant, gentle pressure. It is uncertain why wraps are effective, but anxiety experts such as Dr. Temple Grandin suggest that pressure has a calming effect on the nervous system. Examples of using pressure to calm anxiety include pressure shirts for people with autism, squeeze chutes for cattle, pressure shirts and weighted vests for children with certain behavioral disorders, and swaddling infants. This treatment has been proven very effective for many dogs. Some wraps are homemade, for example, out of an appropriately sized t-shirt, but wraps can be difficult to put on and get the desired fit. Some conventional pressure wraps lack ease in applying the wrap and may be difficult to adjust to the right pressure.